Motion picture apparatus



May 7, 1935. A. A. ANDREWS 2,000,872

I MOTION PICTURE APPARATUS Filed April 25, 1934 ,ZIG, 2, 4

..EIG.5. 20, f JY Z-e L Z6 6; 31 Z? 24 I 27 luveurore. Z3 Z5 AR HURALLENANDREWs TTORN EY Patented May 7, 1 935 V d I '7 I 3 UNITED STATES PATENT i OFFICE I a "2,00% q I MOTION morons APPARATUS Arthur Allen Andrews, Tiptree, England Application A ri zs, 1934, Serial no; 722,330 7 In GreatiBritain March 28, 1933 1 Claim. (Cl. 88--18.4')

This invention relates to kinematographic ap whichmeshes with a p nion i6 on theendof a paratus for taking and/ or projecting motion picspindle which is rotatable in and extends through j I V tures, and concerns mechanism for feeding the the partition 2 into the compartment 4 and be film and for retainingsame stationarybetween low the lens-carrying member 5, said spindle-1 5 successive filmfeeding operations, that is to'say, having mountedthereon a. disc H on which 5 during those periodswhen the firm-feeding means pivotally-and 'eccentrically mounted the -doubleisdisengaged from the film, so that the film is pronged claw i3.

correctly placed for re-engagement of the feed? The channel guides i1q=formed on the plateare V 7 ing means to impart further advancing motion extended down below thegate 8 so asto serve for a v the slidablereception-therein of a plate la -fur- 10 An object of the invention is to provide an efiinished with a fixed laterally projecting pin 2-1] cient' mechanism for achieving these purposes, which isslidablyengaged in a bore formed in the which is extremely simple in construction, capaclaw member l8, said plate iiirbeing apertured ble of cheap manufacture 'andfoolproof in opto afford passage for the giilm-engaging prongs 151 eration; V a y 21. The pin ifiserves as aguidel-to maintain the ,5; A further object of the invention is to provide claw I 8 in a position on which the prongsjlare a. mechanism in which the claws of a film-feedperpen icu ar o the film t-r ok rin t e com-- ing device are maintained perpendicular to the plete cycle of operations of :the claw V film, thereby ensuring accurate engagement and The claw l8 has-pivotally attached to it a tail V avoiding tearing of the film. member, 22 which is slidably engaged in ,a block;

The accompanying drawing forming a part of 2 3,said block Z3-being pivotally mounted on a 4 2 this specification illustrates an apparatus of prac screwed inlt which engages into a boss 25protical form in accordance with the invention, and videdon the partition 2. V

in the drawing p The block has pivotally connected to it the film- 25 Figure l is aside view of the apparatus with retaining p n the Pointed free end of which 25 cover removed. engages in a pin hole 21 formed in the lower Figure 2 is a front end view, the casing being part of' the gate plate 6, in which, and opposite shown in section; and, r the pronged claw I8, is formed a vertically dis- Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical section 11-. posed slot 28 for the reception andmovement lustrating the working of the apparatus. 7 therein of the prongs 2| of the claw I8. 30

The apparatus shown in the drawing comprises On the extension cheek 1 of the gate plate 6 a casing which is dividedlby a vertically disthere is hinged, so as to swing aboutavertical axis, posed partition 2, into two compartments 3 and a vertically disposed back plate 29 carrying a 4 respectively, and on said partition 2, andin the presser plate 30 in which, and opposite to the compartment 3 there is mounted the lens-carryp n hole 1 d gate Plate is formed an 35 7 ing member 5. Y aperture 3! into which the end of the film-retain- Adjacent the rear end of the lens-carrying ing pin 26 is adapted to enter. The back plate 29 member 5 there is fixedly mounted a vertically is held closed by a slidable clip (not shown).

disposed plate 6 which isprovided with a right- The presser plate 30 is controlled by lightv angled extension check 1 abutting the partition springs 32 and acts as a presser to the film 33 2, and in said plate 6 is formed thev gate or gap'8. which is led from the 13 1 81300134 w t0 d The gate or gapfl is adapted to be covered and over a guide post 35 on the extension I, then uncovered by means of the shutter 9 which is down and past the gate 8 toand down between vertically slidable in and between channel guides thergate plate 6 and presser plate 39, then under ill on the plate 6 aforesaid. I I the lower end of said presser plate 30 tov the 45 The shutter 9 fixedly carries a horizontally disbottom spool 36, the latter being mountedon a.

posed pin it on which is disposed in, front of the rotatable spindle 31. p 1 gate plate 6 a slidably mounted sleeve l2 which The rotatable spindle 31 extends-into the is pivotally and eccentrically mounted on a disc compartment 3 of the casing Land is'fitted with 5 !3 located inthe compartment 4 and positioned a pulley or like wheel 38 which is coupled by an above the lens-carrying member 5. The spindle endless coil. spring'band 39, or equivalent, to a l j of the disc i3 is rotatable in and extends through pulley or like Wheel 49 mounted on thespindle the partition 2 into the compartment 3 and is of the spur wheel l5, said spur wheel l5 being fitted with a pinion 14. fitted as shown in Figure 2, with a cranked handle The pinion i4 meshes with a spur wheel l5 4|.

Assuming the movable parts to be in the position shown in Figures 1 and 2, i. e. exposure position with shutter 9 raised and claw [8 fully retracted, and film-retaining pin 25 just on the point of disengagement from the film 33, then, on turning the handle 4|, rotation is imparted through the gears l5, l4 and Hi, to the discs 13 and H, simultaneouslmwith the result that the shutter 9, through the combined movements of said disc 53, and its sleeve l2 on the pin ll of the shutter 9, is caused to descend into the position shown in Figure 3, so that it covers over the gate 8, whilst, at the same time, the doublepronged claw l8 has imparted to it a downward advancing movement thereby engaging and drawing down the film 33, as shown in Figure 3, the

tail member 22 of the claw 13, through its sliding motion in the block 23 and the displacement of its pivot connection to the claw l8, effecting the rocking of said block 23 with consequent retraction of the pin 25 from its engagement in the film 33.

Further rotation of the disc ll effects the movement of the claw l8 away from the film 23 so that said claw I3 is returned to the position shown in Figure 1. During this movement, the tail member 22 of the claw l8 by changing its angular position and sliding downwardly in the pivotal block 23, causes the block 23' to rock and bring its pin 25 into a position such that the end of said pin 25 first passes into a film perforation v to retain the film during exposure and then withdraws to a position just behind but not touching the film, the spool-carrying spindle 31 at the T same time being rotated through the spring band 39 to wind on the film, said spring band allowing slip as the diameter of the film spool increases.

During the'above-described cycle of operations, the claw i8 is maintained at all times in an attitude such that the prongs 2| thereof are perpendicular to the film track, this being ensured by the provision of the guide pin 20 fixed on the reference numeral 44, which is used when the apparatus is required for projecting. A sliding shutter 45 mounted in a vertical guideway is provided for covering the aperture in the rear end wall of the casing when the apparatus is used as a camera. 7 I

I claim:-

In apparatus for taking and/or projecting motion pictures, the combination of film-feeding mechanism comprising a rotatable disc, an eccentrically positioned pin on said disc, a feeding claw pivotally mounted on said pin, prongs on said claw adapted to engage into the film perforations, a guide member for said feeding claw, comprising a plate slidably mounted in a guideway disposed parallel to the film track and a pin aifixed to and projecting at right angles from said plate and slidably engaging the claw, a film-retention mechanism comprising a block pivotally mounted on a pin'secured in a fixed part of the structure, and a film-engaging and retaining pin pivotally attached to said block, and an arm pivotally connected to the feed claw and slidably engaging the block of the retaining mechanism for oscillating said block as a result of changes in the angular disposition of the arm produced by the circular motion of the feed claw and thereby moving the retaining pin into engagement with the film when the feeding claw disengages therefrom and vice versa.

ARTHUR ALLEN ANDREWS. 

